Oil companies shun Democratic meetings

Suzanne Struglinski

Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005 | 9:39 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Three chairs waited for oil company executives at a Democratic Policy Committee meeting Monday examining "record high gas prices and windfall oil company profits."

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., asked Democratic Policy Committee Chairman Bryon Dorgan, D-N.D., when the the heads of Shell, Conoco-Phillips and Exxon-Mobil would be taking their seats.

"All three companies indicated to us they would not be able to attend today," Dorgan said.

"Certainly not because they couldn't afford it," Reid said, adding later that it was "obscene" that these companies would make billions of dollars while regular people cannot support their families because they are spending so much money on gas.

The remaining witness included one service station owner, a cranberry farmer and an advocate or low-income families, who all told stories of how the increasing costs in gasoline has affected their lives.

Because Democrats are the minority party in the Senate, they have no power in setting traditional hearing agendas or topics, calling witnesses or requesting documents.

The Democratic Policy Committee hearings look and sound like regular Senate hearings, but without the presence of Republicans or the blessing of the majority leadership, the hearings are not considered official.

Reid said Congress, controlled by the White House, refuses to do a proper investigation into oil companies' profit.

"People are paying too much for their gasoline, that's an understatement," Reid said. "I am terribly concerned that we are not doing our job here to do our oversight. We can do better."